Intel's new Classmate PC reference design includes a tablet mode with …

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Intel unveiled a new Classmate PC reference design at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco last week. The new model has a swiveling tablet display with full touchscreen support. It offers finger interaction and also comes with a stylus that can be used to write and draw directly on the screen.

The Classmate PC is a low-cost laptop designed primarily for education in emerging markets. It has emerged as the primary competitor to the One Laptop Per Child project's XO laptop and has made major inroads with government buyers. Intel recently secured an agreement with Portugal to sell half a million units.

Intel didn't break much ground with the original Classmate hardware, instead focusing on bringing conventional computing technology to a lower price-point. This approach differed greatly from the strategy adopted by the OLPC project, which created a radically innovative device with unique and extremely unusual hardware components. Intel is now inching beyond its original vision by bringing touchscreen technology to the Classmate.

Intel says that the features in the new design are based on observations and research collected about the way that Classmate PCs are used in real-world classroom settings. In a video published by Intel on its YouTube channel, one of the company's ethnographers describes some of the background research behind the new design.

Intel looked closely at how students collaborate and move around in classroom environments. The new tablet feature was implemented so that the device would be more conducive to what Intel calls "micromobility". Intel wants students to be able to carry around Classmate PCs in much the same way that they currently carry around paper and pencil.

"We want to offer more choices to meet the diversity of student learning needs across the world," said Intel Emerging Markets Platform Group manager Lila Ibrahim in a statement. "Our ethnographic research has shown us that students responded well to tablet and touch screen technology. The creativity, interactivity and user-friendliness of the new design will enhance the learning experiences for these children. This is important for both emerging and mature markets where technology is increasing being seen as a key tool in encouraging learning and facilitating teaching."

Some of the software industry people we have been talking with about subnotebook devices have been speculating that touchscreens will become much more prevalent in next-generation small form factor laptops. Intel's research shows that touchscreen technology has real value in classroom environments and on education devices.